Mucosal surfaces are habitats for the physiological microflora and are closely related to the mucosal immune compartment (mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue, MALT). Recently, considerable evidence has been accumulated showing that defined members of the physiological microflora express/liberate low molecular weight substances (peptides) which apparently are essential for the adequate immune resp...

since particulate matter (total suspended particles and particulate matter with median aerodynamic diameter less than 10 µm) is one of the important pollutants in the ambient air of tehran, the capital of iran, organic substances, inorganic substances and lead levels in tsp and pm10, correlation between tsp and pm10 concentrations, ratio among the two fractions and relation between tsp and pm10...

BioPath is a prototype system for the interactive exploration of biochemical pathways. It has been developed as an electronic version of the famous Boehringer Biochemical Pathways map and offers various ways to access information on substances and pathways and to navigate through pathways. This paper describes the main features and the software architecture of BioPath. The companion paper [11] ...

The flavonoid silymarin and one its structural components, silibinin, have been well characterized as hepato-protective substances. However, little is known about the biochemical mechanisms of action of these substances. This review deals with recent investigations to elucidate the molecular action of the flavonoid. Three levels of action have been proposed for silymarin in experimental animals...

Multiple mating, sperm storage and sperm digestion cause uncertainty about the fate of donated sperm. In invertebrates these are common processes and increase the selective pressure for tactics that enhance fertilization success. Hence, to assure that donated sperm will be used for their rightful purpose, many different strategies can evolve. For example, biochemical substances — such as pherom...

Humic substances (HSs) have considerable effects on soil fertility and crop productivity owing to their unique physiochemical and biochemical properties, and play a vital role in establishing biotic and abiotic interactions within the plant rhizosphere. A comprehensive understanding of the mode of action and tissue distribution of HS is, however, required, as this knowledge could be useful for ...